1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a support part, a developer container, a process cartridge and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus of type in which an image is formed on a recording medium by using an electrophotographic image forming system. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus may include an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (for example, a laser beam printer, an LED printer and the like), an electrophotographic facsimile, and an electrophotographic word processor, for example. The "process cartridge" may incorporate therein an electrophotographic photosensitive member, and, a charge means, a developing means or cleaning means as a unit which can removably be mounted on an image forming apparatus, or may incorporate therein an electrophotographic photosensitive member, and, at least one of a charge means, a developing means or a cleaning means as a unit which can removably be mounted on an image forming apparatus, or may incorporate therein an electrophotographic photosensitive member and at least a developing means as a unit which can removably be mounted on an image forming apparatus.
2. Related Background Art
In the conventional electrophotographic image forming apparatuses using an electrophotographic image forming process, there have been proposed process cartridges integrally incorporating therein an electrophotographic photosensitive member and process means acting on the electrophotographic photosensitive member as a unit, which can removably be mounted on an image forming apparatus. By using such a process cartridge, since the maintenance of the apparatus can easily be performed by a user himself without any expert, and, thus, operability can be improved remarkably, such a process cartridge has been widely used in electrophotographic image forming apparatuses.
In such a process cartridge, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, a developing means includes a frame 50 constituting a developer container, and developer contained in the developer container is agitated by rotating an agitating member 51 and then is supplied to an electrophotographic photosensitive member. In this case, in order to permit rotation of the agitating member 51, a support member 52 is fitted into a through hole 50a formed in the frame 50 and one end of the agitating member 51 is secured to the support member 52, and a rotational force is applied to the support member 52 from outside of the frame to transmit the rotational force to the agitating member 51. A seal member 53 is disposed between the support member 52 and the frame 50 to prevent the developer from leaking through a gap between the support member 52 and the through hole 50a.
The support member 52 is generally formed by injection-molding synthetic resin and has a detent portion 52a for preventing the support member 52 from disengaging from the through hole 50a, a seal contacting portion 52b supported in the through hole 50a and contacting the seal member 53, and an enlarged portion 52c. Thus, as shown in FIG. 8, a mold (54a, 54b, 54c and 54d) used in the injection-molding is divided at mold portions 54b, 54c, for forming the seal contacting portion 52b disposed between the detent portion 52a and the enlarged portion 52c, and, after the resin is injected, the mold portions 52a to 54d are opened in the directions shown by the arrows in FIG. 8, thereby removing the molded support member.